Suicidal Behaviors Among Dominican Youth

Since the inception of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance system of U.S. high schools in 1991 called the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), Hispanic youth have consistently reported among the highest rates of suicidal behavior of any major ethnic/racial groups including African Americans and Whites. Rates for suicide attempts are higher for U.S.-born Hispanic youth compared to their foreign-born counterparts suggesting that processes related to acculturation or immigration may be related to suicidal behaviors among Hispanics. However, the exact nature of these mechanisms remains to be understood in part because of lack of knowledge regarding suicide attempt rates, risk factors, and protective factors from Hispanic youth's countries of heritage. Our study will increase scientific knowledge of socio-cultural factors related to suicidal behaviors among D.R. youth and how they compare to their Dominican counterparts in NYC.